Professor Jonathan Golledge is Head of the Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease and its pre-clinical arm The Vascular Biology Unit (VBU) at the School of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University. Professor Golledge joined JCU in 2002 and established the Vascular Biology Unit with the aim of carrying out research intended to be translated into improved management of aortic aneurysm and other peripheral vascular conditions. We continue to seek high quality students and researchers to join our group. Trained as a vascular specialist, Professor Golledge took 2 years out of specialist training to obtain experience in research techniques as part of a Cambridge MChir (Doctoral equivalent), UK. His research commitment is illustrated by a large number of presentations at International and National meetings and publications in peer-reviewed journals, including a large number in top specialised journals.

Professor Golledge holds a conjoint position between the School of Medicine and Dentistry and Queensland Health, where he works as a vascular surgeon. In addition to providing a high quality clinical service his principal aspiration is to improve management of peripheral vascular diseases. The research impact of this is evidenced by external grant support from the NIH, NHMRC, Queensland Government, NHF and other bodies. Of note in 2010 Professor Golledge led a successful bid to establish a NHMRC funded centre of research excellence for Peripheral Vascular Disease.

2003 - Reviewer The Lancet, Circulation, Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, Atherosclerosis, Journal of Vascular Surgery, European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, American Journal of Cardiology, American Journal of Pathology

2003 - External reviewer for numerous granting bodies including the National Health and Medical Research Council, National Heart Foundation and other international funding bodies such as the Welcome Trust

2002 - Chairman of the Austalian and New Zealand Society of Vascular Surgery Research Group

2000 - Reviewer Stroke

1997 - Reviewer The Journal of Vascular Surgery and the European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery

2003 to 2009 - Language Editor European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery

2002 to 2007 - Chairman of the BMedSci Committee, James Cook University

Publications

These are the most recent publications
associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of
all publications stored at JCU, visit
ResearchOnline@JCU.
Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) affects 20 million people worldwide and 100,000 people in Australia. Annually, AAA rupture leads to 200,000 deaths worldwide and 2000 deaths in Australia. In clinical practice, maximum AAA diameter is the preferred surrogate measure for disease progression and rupture risk, and is used to guide surgical intervention. Approximately 10% of AAAs will rupture before they reach the current threshold for repair, whereas 60% of large AAAs remain stable during their lifetime, suggesting that diameter alone is an imperfect tool to decide which AAAs require surgical intervention.
The specific aims of the project are Aim 1: To investigate if PWS is greater in patients with ruptured compared to intact AAAs matched for diameter; Aim 2: To evaluate the impact of a common anti-hypertensive medication {Telmisartan) on PWS and rupture risk in patients with small AAAs.

Investigators

Tejas Singh, Jon Golledge and Joseph Moxon in collaboration with Thomas Gasser
(College of Medicine & Dentistry and Royal Institute of Technology)

Royal Australasian College of Surgeons RACS - James Ramsay Project Grant

Metformin in the management of abdominal aortic aneurysm (MAGIC)

Indicative Funding

$78,000 over 2 years

Summary

MAGIC will be the first trial to assess the value of metformin wiuth significant preliminary data to suggest it can slow AAA growth. This trial offers the possibility of identifying a new treatment modality for an increasingly common condition, which would markedly change clinical practice.

Investigators

Jon Golledge, Dylan Morris, Paul Norman, Joseph Moxon, Zanfina Ademi, Rachel Neale, Anders Wanhainen, Ronald Dalman, Robert Hinchliffe and Matthew Bown in collaboration with Anthony Dear, Bernard Bourke, Christopher Reid, Jason Jenkins, Derek Chew, Rachael Jones, Richard Norman and Stephen Colagiuri
(College of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Oxford, The University of Western Australia, Monash University, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, University of Uppsala, Stanford University, University of Bristol, University of Leicester, Gosford Hospital, The University of Queensland, Flinders University, Curtin University of Technology and The University of Sydney)

Keywords

Aortic Aneurysm; Clinical Trials; Surgery

Heart Foundation - Vanguard Grant

Blockage of the lower limb arteries (peripheral artery disease; PAD) leads to severe leg pain, walking impairment, and a substantial risk of leg amputation and death. Approximately 200 million people worldwide and approximately 1 million Australians have blocked leg arteries. This problem has recognised treatment deficiencies in comparison to other common diseases, including the absence of effective medications to increase blood supply to the legs, reduce leg pain, improve walking ability and reduce the risk of major amputation. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that metformin, a cheap and safe medication, promotes formation of new vessels, improves microcirculation and muscle function, and limits pain. In preliminary studies, metformin significantly increased blood supply to the limb of a pre-clinical model of blocked leg arteries. We have also associated metformin prescription with a 4-fold reduction in the rate of major lower limb amputation in patients with blocked arteries. This placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial will examine the efficacy of metformin in improving walking ability in patients with blocked leg arteries over 6 months. Positive findings from this trial will identify a new treatment for a problem that affects 10-20% of adults aged over 50 years.

Investigators

Jon Golledge, Dylan Morris and Joseph Moxon
(College of Medicine & Dentistry and University of Oxford)

Keywords

peripheral artery disease; Clinical Trial; Medication

Vascular Foundation - Project Grant

Metformin in the management of abdominal aortic aneurysm (MAGIC)

Indicative Funding

$50,000

Summary

MAGIC will be the first trial to assess the value of metformin with significant preliminary data to suggest it can slow AAA growth. The trial offers the possibility of identifying a new treatment modality for an increasingly common condition, which would markedly change clinical practice.

Investigators

Jon Golledge and Paul Norman
(College of Medicine & Dentistry and The University of Western Australia)

Keywords

Aortic Aneurysm; clinical trials; Surgery

Queensland Health - Junior Research Fellowship

Coding and non-coding circulating RNAs associated with the presence and rapid expansion of abdominal aortic aneurysms

Indicative Funding

$250,000 over 2 years

Summary

Deoxyribonucleic Acid, or DNA is the molecule that comprises genes. The mix of genes you have may mean you are likely to have, or be more prone to develop, particular conditions. The way the information encoded by DNA is converted into outcomes (such as a medical condition) is via the action of Ribonucleic Acid, or RNA. This project aims to identify RNAs in blood associated with the presence or rapid growth of abdominal aortic aneurysms - potentially lethal balloonings of the largest artery in the abdomen, the abdominal aorta. This may yield new methods of diagnosing and treating aneurysms.

Investigators

Vikram Iyer and Jon Golledge
(College of Medicine & Dentistry)

Keywords

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm; RNAs

National Health & Medical Research Council - Project Grant

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is estimated to be responsible for 2000 sudden deaths each year in Australia. AAAs can be readily identified when they are small but there are currently no effective medical therapies to limit complications in patients that have such AAAs. We hypothesise that interventions inhibiting the FXII-kallikrein pathway will limit progression of established AAAs within pre-clinical models and have other important secondary benefits such as the reduction of atherosclerosis progression.

National Health & Medical Research Council - Project Grant

Upregulating kallistatin to limit abdominal aortic aneurysm

Indicative Funding

$648,021 over 3 years

Summary

Abdominal aortic aneurysms are present in ~100,000 Australians and easily identified at an early stage. Currently there is no effective treatment for small aneurysms since early surgical therapies do not improve outcomes and there are currently no effective drugs which inhibit aortic aneurysm progression.
Patients with small aneurysms are simply managed by repeat imaging at intervals but up to 70% of small aneurysms later expand to a size requiring surgery. Repeat imaging and surgery of abdominal aortic aneurysm are estimated to cost Australia ~$80 million/ year. We present preliminary data suggesting that the protein kallistatin can inhibit aneurysm progression and that it can be upregulated by the drug fenofibrate. The aim of the current study are to assess if mice overexpressing kallistatin are protected from abdominal aortic aneurysm and if administration of 145mg of fenofibrate can increase serum kallistatin in patients with small abdominal aortic aneurysms. We will assess these hypotheses in mice models and within a randomized controlled trial of patients that have small abdominal aortic aneurysms. We have established appropriate mice models, reproducible outcome assessments methods and identified patients to examine these aims. This study represents vital next steps in the assessment of a potential new medical therapy target for abdominal aortic aneurysm.

National Health & Medical Research Council - Project Grant

Assessment of the Efficacy of a Brief Behaviour Intervention Designed to Improve Physical Activity in Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease

Indicative Funding

$662,912 over 5 years

Summary

The primary aim of the current study is to assess the efficacy of a Brief Behavioural Intervention (BBI) delivered by allied health workers in health facilities to improve physical activity in patients with PAD over 24 months. Secondary aims of this study are to examine the effect of the BBI on participants functional capacity, revascularisation rate, resource use, and to perform an economic evaluation of the BBI compared to usual care.

Investigators

Jon Golledge, Nicola Burton, Paul Norman, Anthony Leicht and Zanfina Ademi in collaboration with Richard Holdsworth, Ronan O'Carroll, Belinda Parmenter, Christopher Reid and Jason Jenkins
(College of Medicine & Dentistry, The University of Queensland, The University of Western Australia, College of Healthcare Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Forth Valley Royal Hospital, University of Stirling, The University of New South Wales, Monash University and Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital)

National Health & Medical Research Council - Project Grant

The Role of Angiotensin converting enzyme in limiting complications of aortic aneurysm

Indicative Funding

$663,475 over 3 years

Summary

Bursting or tearing of the main artery leading from the heart kills approximately 1300 Australians each year. In this study we will assess the role of a novel pathway in artery weakening. Improved understanding of he mechanisms causing artery degeneration is crucial to develop better ways to treat this common problem.

Investigators

Jon Golledge and Christos Tikellis in collaboration with Carla Ewels, Merlin Thomas, Paul Norman and Jason Jenkins
(College of Medicine & Dentistry, Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute, College of Public Health, Medical & Vet Sciences, The University of Western Australia and Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital)

Keywords

Peripheral Arterial Disease; Aortic Aneurysm

Supervision

Advisory Accreditation:
I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or
by students who have completed their studies within the past
5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within
ResearchOnline@JCU.

Professor Jonathan Golledge is Head of the Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease and its pre-clinical arm The Vascular Biology Unit (VBU) at the School of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University. Professor Golledge joined JCU in 2002 and established the Vascular Biology Unit with the aim of carrying out research intended to be translated into improved management of aortic aneurysm and other peripheral vascular conditions. We continue to seek high quality students and researchers to join our group. Trained as a vascular specialist, Professor Golledge took 2 years out of specialist training to obtain experience in research techniques as part of a Cambridge MChir (Doctoral equivalent), UK. His research commitment is illustrated by a large number of presentations at International and National meetings and publications in peer-reviewed journals, including a large number in top specialised journals.